Nine students to be arraigned in court over attack on teachers

Marsabit Kenya National Union of Teachers officials led by regional Secretary General Lufle Gambare address members of the press at their office in Marsabit town on Tuesday. The leaders condemned Monday's attack on non-local teachers at Chalbi Boys' High School. (Godfrey Ounduh, Standard)

At least nine students of Chalbi Boys High School will be charged in court in connection with the Monday attack on non-local teachers at the institution.

The school principal also faces prosecution following the ugly incident that led to injuries to the teachers.

One teacher is admitted to a hospital in Nairobi, even as the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) moved 12 staff from the school whose results were cancelled in last year’s Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations.

In a report from the TSC Marsabit County Office, students accused the non-local teachers of giving information to Knec that led to cancellation of the 2017 KCSE results.

Exam buying

About 30 cases of student unrest have hit schools this year in what the Education ministry has linked to an expression of the candidates’ unpreparedness for the national examinations.

Most candidates are pushing newly posted principals to devise ways of “buying” KCSE examination papers.

On Wednesday, Basic Education PS Belio Kipsang attributed the unrest incidents in schools to panic over examinations.

Dr Kipsang also warned that students who cause riots and destruction of property would be arrested.

Even though the PS said there was a notable decline in cases of unrest in schools, he warned that the students who engage in criminal activities should be treated as criminals. 

He was speaking at a press briefing in Nairobi where he pointed out the case in where students at Chalbi attacked and injured six non-local teachers on Monday. 

“Such actions aimed at blackmailing teachers and compromising the integrity of our examinations will not be condoned,” Kipsang said. 

He said the government was aware that some students and parents were trying to find ways of cheating in the national examinations, which some principals were discouraging.

“We have done our investigations and they indicate that the cases are due to panic over examinations that are set to start in coming months,” he said. 

“No amount of threats from students will make us go back to where we were when cheating was normal,” he added. 

He directed regional education boards to work with county commissioners to avert school strikes. Most of the students in affected schools seem unprepared due to the tight examination regulations in place, he said. 

In May, students of Ortum Secondary in West Pokot went on strike to force their principal to assure them that he will assist them cheat in KCSE.

In Siaya, Maranda High School was closed after the administration foiled a planned strike. Nyanza regional education coordinator Richard Chepkwai said the decision to close the school was arrived at following rising tension among the students.

Closed schools

On Tuesday, Ng’iya Girls in Siaya County was closed following a strike by the students.

On Monday, Kisumu Girls High School was also closed indefinitely after students went on the rampage and destroyed property. The students accused the principal of high-handedness. 

Kisumu County Director of Education Sabina Aroni ordered that the school be closed. According to documents from the Education ministry, most of the affected schools are those that had new principals who were not condoning unethical practices in examinations.

TSC CEO Nancy Macharia has vowed to post competent head teachers of high integrity to all schools to ensure no examinations cheating.

Macharia has moved 12 teachers from the Chalbi secondary school.

Education Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed has warned  candidates against being hoodwinked into believing that the examinations have been leaked. 

“We must make sure that the examinations are a reflection of your hard work,” she said last Saturday. 

All candidates, she said, should report anyone attempting to sell them purported examination leakages to the police for action.